


Blue mouse

by ilostmyguntoday



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: AU, F/F, M/M, SKAM, Skam France - Freeform, elliott demaury - Freeform, elu - Freeform, lucas lallemant - Freeform, skam france season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2019-11-25 20:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18171074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilostmyguntoday/pseuds/ilostmyguntoday
Summary: An AU where Lucas has just left university and has immediately become a biology teacher at a younger school, where he is then introduced to Eliott Demaury, a child's book illustrator.





	1. Have you seen his picture?

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr prompt i saw that i wanted to continue. Let me know if you enjoy it and I'll write more (;

"...and so during the mitotic phase, the cell divides into two separate 'daughter' cells" Lucas said excitedly, scrawling various diagrams on to the whiteboard to 15 slightly bored 11 year olds. "I'm sure all of you are on the edge of your seats as to what happens next?" Lucas smiled, turning back to face his class, who in return gave him a vacant stare. _Yikes._ "Uh, anyway" Lucas coughed, "Once the daughter cells have-"

The sharp intrusive ringing of the lunch bell cut Monsieur Lallemant off before he could finish his sentence, which was immediately followed by the scraping of chairs on linoleum flooring and the hurried footsteps of hungry students eagerly off to have lunch. 

"Hey! The bell doesn't dismiss you! I dismiss you!" Lucas cried out to his rapidly evaporating class, still clutching the wad of homework he had yet to give out - but the door promptly slammed, and he was left alone again. 

 _'Jesus',_ he thought, ' _straight out of University and I already feel 40 years older'._

Collapsing back into his chair, Lucas warily flicked through the tests he had to mark by tomorrow. He flicked to a random page in one of the assessments and almost weeped.

The student had written nothing for the essay question, but had somehow managed to circle the number '69', that had foolishly been placed in the question, and write a half-hearted 'lmao nice.' next to it. 

"Was I like this?" Lucas sighed to the empty room, and he swore he could hear his old Biology partner Imane yell back, "Yes, yes you were.".

Lucas continued through the worksheets, each one ageing him by a year, when a knock at the door interrupted the silence. Before he even had time to answer, an enthusiastic blonde woman with glasses and a fluffy pink cardigan waltzed into the room with a stack of books and, bizarrely, a cupcake balanced on top of them. 

"Salut!" she said brightly, seizing his hand and shaking it vigorously,

"Uh, salut" Lucas responded, slightly impressed at her sprightliness for a Monday lunchtime.

"I heard there was a new Biology teacher and, well, I never miss a chance to bake cakes! This is a little welcome present" She grinned, promptly handing him the single cupcake that was admittedly very well decorated. Lucas marvelled at how she had actually managed to arrange the icing so that it showed a little stick figure holding a test tube. 

"It's science themed!" she cut in, before he could comment.

"Well that's very thoughtful of you, Madame" Lucas said, smiling widely.

"Oh, don't call me Madame! It makes me feel 100 years old! Call me Daphné."

"I'm Lucas. I just started last week"

"Well, I've been the librarian here at the school for almost 2 years now" Daphné said proudly, pushing up her glasses with feigned modesty.

"Ah, that explains the books - are those additions to the library?" Lucas asked, nodding to the six books that were swaying dangerously in Daphné's grasp. Daphné frowned at him confusedly before glancing at the books in her arms,

"Oh! No, no, these are just for some light reading when I'm on my lunch break"

Lucas glanced between her and the books half her size,

"Um...light?"

"Yes!" She smiled, "What? How many books do you read a day?"

Before Lucas could respond that he hadn't read a novel since the last Harry Potter book was published, Daphné looked at the clock and let out a shriek,

"Mon Dieu! I have to go! I've only got twenty minutes left of Lunch. We're having an author visit today and I'm meant to be helping him set up in the library!"

"An author?" Lucas asked

"Well, a child's illustrator of sorts. He's just finished drawing for "The Adventures of Blue Mouse""

Lucas gasped, "Man, I've seen those books in every bookshop window in Paris."

Daphné smiled, "Yes, he's actually quite the rockstar for 6 year olds. You're welcome to come along if you want. We do always need adults assisting the younger years of the school" Daphné weedled.

Lucas smiled, "I guess its only fair since you baked me a cake"

Daphné was grinning so widely that Lucas was slightly worried her face was going to split in two - just like in the mitotic phase - "Great! We're starting in 15 minutes in the library!". Daphné turned away to walk, and was almost out the room when -

"Oh, and Lucas!" she called from the doorway, "His name is Eliott Démaury by the way. I don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of a celebrity by not knowing their name"

Lucas let out a snort, "Please. I don't think I'll be exactly star-struck by a Child's illustrator"

Daphné narrowed her eyes ,"Have you ever seen his picture?"

"No, why?" Lucas asked, slightly bewildered at the question. Why would he be following the world of book illustrators? 

Daphné didn't answer, but instead gave him a knowing smirk before shutting the door completely.

 

 


	2. You can call me Eliott

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas doesn't realise that he's met Eliott Démaury, the world famous book illustrator, until it's slightly too late for private introductions. 
> 
>  
> 
> Or : Lucas is slightly dumbstruck by Eliott's smile.

By the time Lucas had made his way down to the library, there were already crowds of younger children flooding through the doors into the rows of little plastic seats. Lucas managed to catch the eye of a very stressed looking Daphné, who quickly beckoned him over with relief.

"Thank God! We need more adults watching over the children! Only three parents have volunteered to help out today, and there's far more children than I imagined" Daphné said quickly, before ushering Lucas into one of the teacher's chairs that had been dotted around the room. 

"It's my pleasure. Uh...I'm not sure what I'm meant to be doing though" Lucas said nervously, as he had never really had experience with supervising younger kids before. But Daphné waved off any remaining concern with her hand, 

"Just sit with the little ones and make sure they behave, we'll be starting soon anyway".

With that, Daphné turned on her heel and marched towards the doors to scold a child who had just hurled a book at his friend.

Lucas looked around the room. There were about 50 children all together, mostly all whispering excitedly to each other about their favourite copies of "Blue mouse" . 

"This one's my favourite" a little boy said to his friend, pointing to a very cute drawing of a raccoon and a mouse peeking out from a rocket ship's window ,

"Why?" his friend responded, "raccoons are scary!"

"No! They're cute." the boy replied indignantly, looking slightly embarassed.

“Nope, they have sharp claws. That’s not cute at all”

“But they have a fuzzy tail!” the boy exclaimed, as if that explained everything

His friend laughed and pointed a finger at him, "You're a weirdo!" 

With that, the younger boy slammed his book shut and pressed his hands over his eyes before bursting into tears. Lucas had been half paying attention to this bizarre interaction between the children when he suddenly realised that this was his cue to step in. Lucas paced over to the crying little boy and his rather guilty looking friend, kneeling beside them as he did so,

"Hey, what's going on here?" Lucas asked gently

There was a silence between the two boys. Lucas gave a stern look.

"L-Louis called m-me a weirdo" the crying boy finally stuttered out,  

"Why did you do that, Louis?" Lucas said, facing the other boy now

Louis looked down at his hands, 

"I didn't mean to make Victor cry, Monsieur. But he likes raccoons. That's weird."

"Why is it weird? Everyone is allowed to like what they like, and it's not nice to make fun of someone for it. Especially not your friend"

Louis nodded solemnly and muttered a barely audible 'Sorry, Victor'. 

Victor's crying had now dwindled to occasional sniffs.

"Hey" Lucas said, smiling at Victor, "I actually think raccoons are pretty cool too".

"Yeah, plus they wear masks." said a sultry voice behind Lucas' head. Lucas hadn't even realised that someone had been standing behind him listening this whole time.

Lucas' gaze shot behind him, only to find himself staring up at what could only be described as the most angelic smile he had ever seen. For a split second, it felt like the World had fallen silent, and it was only him and this...beautiful stranger. Which sounded ridiculously melodramatic, Lucas knew. Yet somehow, it was the only way to describe it. 

"Uh" was all Lucas could get out, slowly standing up to his full height, which, he had to admit, didn't come close to this guy's 6ft 2" demeanour. The stranger was about half a foot taller than Lucas was, with unkempt yet styled hair and eyes that seemed to gleam with life, not to mention that dazzling smile that was slowly starting to make his heart melt.

_Pull yourself together, Lucas._  

The stranger grinned down at Lucas for a while longer,

"Whats the matter? Raccoon got your tongue?" 

The stranger laughed at his own joke and tilted his head, calmly observing Lucas fall apart under his smile.

_Think of something, fuck, think of anything to say - don't embarrass yourself._

_Too late._

"Monsieur Lallemant, why are you blushing?" said Louis

Lucas whipped round to find that half the kids in the crowd had been watching him slowly crash and burn.

"Monsieur is blushing!" cried another girl, stifling a giggle with her hand.

"Now now, children" Lucas chuckled forcefully, ignoring the laughter coming from the stranger as well the other 20 kids in the audience, "Let's settle down so that when Mr Démaury comes he'll see how well you're behaving!" 

The kids all fell silent at that, hastily sitting up straight and holding their books neatly in their lap.

Lucas turned back to the stranger, who was still watching him intently with that unreadable expression.

"So, are you a...parent?" Lucas asked, desperate to regain some dignity, even though the stranger looked far too young to have a 7 year old.

The stranger frowned at him for a moment, and Lucas' heart dropped 

_Oh no, what did I say?_

"What? Oh, no I'm-"

"Attention everyone!". Daphné's voice rang out across the library before the stranger could even finish his sentence, and the dull murmur that had been present for the past few minutes came to a halt. 

Daphné clapped her hands together and smiled widely,

"Thank you all so much for coming! I am so excited to introduce Mr Eliott Démaury both to the stage and to our school, so everyone make him feel welcome with a round of applause!" 

The crowd of children clapped excitedly, and Lucas was confused as to where this guy was. Lucas scanned the room for an elderly gentleman with a pipe and a handkerchief sticking out his pocket to emerge from the bookshelves, as that was what he imagined when he thought of an illustrator. However, no such man came into Lucas' sight

"Excuse me, Mr Lallemant" the stranger whispered, shuffling passed Lucas with an apologetic hand brushing his shoulder. 

Lucas felt the warmth of his hand seep through his shirt and found it oddly endearing, as embarrassing as that was.

Oh.  _Oh._

The stranger took to the table that had been placed at the front of the room, shaking Daphné's hand as he did so,

"Hello everyone! It's so nice to see you all" he said, smiling to the children who were all grinning up at him in the front row. 

Lucas wished he could sink into the floor.

"I'm Eliott Démaury, as I'm sure you all know…"

_Someone just shoot me, please._

The man briefly glanced up at Lucas, his eyes softening,

"…but you can just call me Eliott".

 

 

 


	3. Just in case.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas is a semi-disaster but Eliott doesn't seem to mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your wonderful comments. It's what motivates me to write more. Love you guys xx

"...and then Raccoon looked to the stars and said to his best friend, 'I'll be sad when I have to die. Because then I won't see the stars anymore'. Blue mouse looked back to his friend and replied, 'But Racoon, when we die, we can have adventures in the stars forever'." 

Eliott gently shut the book and looked up to smile at the room that had since descended into a warm silence. Both students and adults alike were still watching Eliott in awe, and Lucas hadn't even realised that his vision was slightly shimmering - having to quickly swipe at his eyes with his sleeve before anyone noticed. The room broke out in to sudden applause, with an emotional Daphné even adding a "Bravo, Mr Démaury! Bravo!" as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

Eliott bowed slightly from his sitting position, face still shining with a smile, and Lucas felt like his heart was going to explode. 

The general murmuring amongst the children soon started to build up louder and louder, and Daphné luckily stepped in before Lucas had to. 

"Children, let's not get too excited! We're taking you back to your classrooms now, so everyone say thank you to Monsieur Démaury..."

"Thank youuuu, Mon-sieur Dé-mauury!" The children chimed back in a sing-song rhythm

"Before we go, do we have any questions for our guest?" Daphné asked

The room quickly slipped back into silence as the children were overcome by shyness, and Lucas couldn't blame them. He had been embarassingly shy around Eliott too.

Daphné surveyed the room, looking slightly concerned that no one was going to ask anything when -

"Monsieur!" yelled a little curly-haired girl, sticking her arm so far up in the air that she was slightly straining to keep it there,

"Yes, Madamoiselle?" Eliott laughed,

"Will you paint me a squirrel?".

The kids around the girl exploded into laughter, and Daphné gave her best disappointed teacher expression before shushing them.

"Marie, I'm sure Monsieur Démaury would rather not spend his free time doing even  _more_ work than he-"

"No, no, I'd love to" Eliott interrupted, beaming down at the little girl, "In fact, if anyone else would like a drawing or a painting then they're welcome to line up and get one".

With that, half the small plastic chairs were pushed over in a rush to be first in line, and Daphné had to shout a "Walk! Walk, children, not run!" that barely made itself heard amongst the chaos.  

Lucas was still watching Eliott. Inexplicably bewitched by...something.

Lucas didn't quite know what. 

Before he could dwell on that any further, Lucas' thoughts were disrupted by soft tugging at his sleeve.

"Monsieur Lallemant?"

Lucas looked down to see Victor biting nervously at his nails and shuffling his feet,

"What is it, Victor? Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, inwardly praying to God that the boy hadn't wet himself.

"No. Well...yes. I want to get a raccoon painted by Msr. Démaury." 

Lucas waited, but Victor had started to fidget uncomfortably again, and Lucas had to prompt him to continue.

"I- Will you come with me, Msr. Lallement? I don't want to go by myself."

Lucas couldn't help but bite back a smile as he took the boy by the hand,

"Of course, Victor. I understand. It can be scary talking to new people."

Hell, Lucas was scared of approaching Eliott himself - but he couldn't let a 6-year-old know that. Victor squeezed his hand gratefully and started pulling Lucas eagerly into line,

"We need to go quickly before he gets tired and can't paint anymore" Victor explained, and Lucas could only nod in agreement. 

* * *

 

Soon, there was only one child left before it was Victor's turn, and Lucas couldn't explain why his heart was thudding like a drum in his chest, or why he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He'd only ever had this kind of reaction when he'd had to stand in front of the school and deliver a speech when he was 13. And he could still remember how that went, even if he really wished he couldn't. He had got so nervous that he ended up fainting mid-sentence, waking up to the principal dramatically fanning him with a newspaper while his music teacher held smelling salts to his nose - the rest of the school as his unsympathetic audience.

Yeah, Lucas kinda hoped that this wasn't a repeat.

"Monsieur? Monsieur?" 

Victor's voice pierced through his thoughts once again,

"Monsieur, it's our turn".

* * *

 

Lucas shook his thoughts into a coherency and realised that Eliott's gaze was fully on him, his gaze sharp even from a few metres away. 

_Is it possible for eyes to be three colours at once?_

"Are you here for a painting too?" Eliott asked sweetly, eyes breaking away from Lucas' to tear off a fresh sheet of paper from a sketch book. 

"Oh, haha, no I - Uh. I'm actually okay for now, I was just-" Lucas' voice dwindled as Eliott looked back up at him in confusion before transitioning into a slight smirk.

"Sorry, I was talking to this gentleman" Eliott said, nodding toward Victor

Lucas felt the blood rush straight to his face. 

_Where's a trapdoor when you need one._

"Right! Of course, that makes a lot more sense." Lucas said, voice artificially casual. He helped Victor on to the little folding stool that had been prepared for the children, hoping it would give him some time for his face to cool down.

 It didn't.

"Right, what would you like painted Mr?" Eliott said, delightfully light-hearted to Victor, whose anxieties had seemed to ease.

"A raccoon! With a fluffy tail!" he cried excitedly, and Eliott chuckled,

"I should have known". Eliott dipped his paintbrush into the paint when Victor let out a small "nooo".

"What is it, Victor?" Lucas asked, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder,

"You wanted a raccoon, didn’t you?"

Victor was silent for a moment, then with surprising vigour he pulled up his sleeve and placed his arm on the table,

"Can you draw the raccoon on my arm instead?"

Eliott's worried face broke out into a grin,

"I think that can be arranged".

Lucas watched as Eliott changed his paintbrush to a finer one with softer hairs, speaking with Victor as he did so - the two babbling away about how raccoons "were awesome" and "really under-appreciated in this day and age". Eliott's voice hummed pleasantly in Lucas' ears as he bent over his paints, carefully drawing each hair of the raccoon's tail. Lucas could have fallen asleep if it hadn't been for the abrupt scraping of the stool as Victor hopped from the chair.

_"_ Thank you, Monsieur!" Victor grinned, examining the very impressive semi-permanent tattoo that he had on his forearm, before sprinting off to join his friends who were making their way out of the library. 

Lucas looked around, suddenly realising that the last few remaining people in the library were already getting their coats on to leave. 

_Fuck._

"Just you and me then, Monsieur Lallemant?"

Lucas turned back to Eliott in time to see the cocky smile he had on his face,

"I also go by Lucas"

"Lucas it is then."

The two were silent for a few moments, but it was comfortable. Slightly less terrifying than Lucas had initially thought. 

When Lucas looked up again, Eliott's eyes were already on him. He felt the breath catch in his throat.

"Would you like a painting, Lucas?" Eliott asked, raising his eyebrows as if to challenge him.

Lucas looked down, unsure whether he was being teased or not.

"I'm a little too old, aren't I?" he finally got out. Eliott scoffed.

"Come one, no one's too old to have fun, are they? Besides, you look the same age as some of the kids that were in here"

Lucas eyes widened in mock rage, and Eliott burst into laughter,

"I see how it is!" Lucas said, standing up, "I'm going to go join my  _classmates_ then!"

"No, come back!" Eliott laughed, grabbing Lucas' wrist.

Lucas pretended to ignore the searing effect that Eliott's touch had on him, and instead fell back into the chair in mock defeat.

"You win, Démaury. Whichever animal you think I'd be, paint that."

Eliott's smile faded, his expression becoming thoughtful.

The playfulness in the atmosphere has ceased, and now they were simply just staring at each other.

"Okay." Eliott said finally, voice bordering on a whisper, "I know which animal you'd be. But you can't look until I'm done! Deal?"

"Deal."

They both stayed motionless.

"Well?" 

"Well what?" Lucas replied indignantly.

_This guy is impossible._

Eliott rolled his eyes, "Your arm?"

"What about my arm?"

"Give it to me"

"You already have two"

"You're about to only have one" 

They both tried to keep straight faces, but ultimately failed miserably. Soon, they were both laughing silently with each other; Lucas having to clutch his stomach to try and regain his breathing. When they had both calmed down, Eliott sighed and wiped his eyes.

“Okay, before you say another word, I would like to actually get around to painting”

“Go ahead” Lucas said.

Eliott took some more miniature paint tubes out of his pocket and scattered them across the table, squeezing a dot from each one on the paper plate that Daphné had spared as a paint palette.

Without a moment’s thought, Eliott reached over and took Lucas’ forearm in his hand. Lucas jumped at the sudden contact and, out of instinct, jerked his arm away.

Eliott looked up at him in panic,

“Oh, oh my God I’m sorry- I didn’t…”

“No, no, I’m sorry” Lucas said hastily, placing his arm back on the table, “I didn’t realise you were…going to do that. That’s all”.

_Little too obvious there, Lallemant._

Eliott shook his head,

“Don’t apologise, I should have asked. Is it…okay to continue?”

Lucas nodded sheepishly, mostly just to see Eliott’s smile return.

“That’s a relief” Eliott beamed, “I thought I’d lost my chances there forever”.

* * *

 

Lucas tried really hard to not focus too much on Eliott’s butterfly soft touches on his forearm that were slowly putting him to sleep, or the adorable expression that overcame Eliott’s face when he was focusing on the really tricky parts. Eliott must have sensed his gaze though, because without looking up he said,

“You know, I told you not to look at what I’m painting”

“I’m not looking at what you’re painting” Lucas replied absentmindedly.

_Where the Hell did that come from?_

Eliott glanced up at him from under his eyelashes, and Lucas could feel the soft breathing that had been tickling his arm come to a halt.

Lucas realised the gravity of what he just said, and for the first time, he was glad to hear someone interrupt them.

“Lucas?”

Daphné’s voice seemed to boom compared to the half-whispers that Eliott and Lucas had been exchanging, forcing them to both tear their eyes from one another and realise that the world had carried on existing outside this room of theirs.

“Oh, Daphné! Hello…”

Lucas stood up in front of Eliott as if he were a guilty child trying to conceal a broken plate.

Daphné’s eyes fell on Eliott, and her face seemed to clear, leaving a little suspicious smile.

“It’s nice to see you’re still here, Monsieur Démaury” Daphné remarked, and Lucas turned to awkwardly stare at him too, as if he’d only just noticed he was there.

Eliott glanced between the two of them, eyes lingering for slightly longer on Lucas, before swiping up his backpack from the ground and stuffing the paints in his pockets.

“Don’t worry, I was just leaving. It was nice meeting both of you!”

Lucas’ heart dropped.

“ _It was nice meeting you”_

Eliott shook Daphné by the hand, uttering various formalities and customs that Lucas could barely bring himself to tune into.

_Eliott’s leaving._

“Do come again! It was a pleasure having you!”

“The pleasure was all mine”

_He’s leaving._

“And, Monsieur Lallemant…” Eliott said briskly, turning away from Daphné and stooping over Lucas with a smile shining in his eyes,

“…I hope to see you soon”

_What?_

“Likewise, Monsieur Démaury” Lucas replied quietly.

There was a pause.

Eliott detached his hand from his pocket and stuck it out for Lucas to shake. Lucas obliged, though he knew this was only going to make things harder.

But Lucas soon felt the sharp square of papery roughness against his palm, and Elliot’s eyes seemed to be glinting a secret message out to him in Morse code, before he spun around and ducked out of the room with a couple of strides. The door shut with a slam on his way out, and Lucas thought it was the most haunting sound he’d ever heard.

“He’s really something isn’t he” Daphné marvelled, shaking her head slightly in amazement, “Only 24 and so passionate with what he does. No wonder the kids love him”.

Lucas didn’t respond. He couldn’t. He could only look at that door. The door that had separated them for what may be forever.

“Yeah, he’s something” Lucas finally murmured wistfully.

Daphné turned to look at him, frowning slightly as she did so,

“What’s that you’ve got on your arm?”

“Hmm?”

Lucas stared back at Daphné confused, following her gaze dumbly, when he remembered the painting.

Lucas looked down to see a hedgehog peeking back up at him. Eliott had shrouded the hedgehog in swirls of colour, leaving the actual hedgehog painted in sharp black lines. Save, of course, for the two smudges of pink on the cheeks.

“Oh. A hedgehog.”

Daphné looked expectantly at Lucas, waiting for him to elaborate. But he couldn’t. He was as dazed as she was.

_So, I’m a hedgehog?_

Daphné checked her watch,

“Well anyway I’ve got to run, I have a staff meeting. But thank you so much for your help!”

“No,” Lucas said, “Thank you.”

Daphné displayed her signature toothy smile before dashing off with her clipboard pressed to her chest.

The door slammed.

Lucas was alone.

Again.

Lucas slowly opened his palm to see a little white square settled in the centre.

Opening it up, Lucas eyes fell immediately on the scrawled hedgehog wearing a tie and the sparse words next to it.

**It’s funny when you blush**

Lucas let out a sigh, ironically feeling his face heat up again at the memory.

_What does he mean by that?_

He flicked the note over, just to be on the safe, and was glad that he did.

**+33 069 04 72 18**

**\- Just in case**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any constructive criticism then I'll be happy to hear it! xx


	4. Don't give up on people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucas and Manon have a talk at a coffee shop a few days after Eliott and Lucas' first interaction at the school. Lucas doesn't tell Manon about it - but on some levels, may be she already knows. 
> 
> Or: Lucas and Eliott text for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the lovely comments! They keep me going. I love you all :) enjoy! xxx

Lucas stared out on to the Paris streets that were now slick with rain. The sky was turning a dark blue, and the yellow glow from inside the coffee shop felt as if the air were giving Lucas a hug. Both he and Manon were tucked away in their favourite spot in the corner that lay right by the window. Lucas had received a text from Manon minutes after school had ended detailing that she needed to vent about the many "brainless interns" she had to babysit as the new director of art installations within the  _Musée d'Art Moderne_.

The conversation had slowed a bit, and both were content to just sit in silence and watch the cars go by on the rainy streets. There was just one thing. Lucas couldn't get Eliott out of his head. He felt pathetic. They had only had a brief interaction a few days ago. Yet the note Eliott had left him was still burning a hole in his pocket; the number he'd written just mocking him every time he re-read it (which was a lot). 

"Manon, can I ask you something?" Lucas finally got out 

Manon's gaze shot from the window to him in worry, her soft green eyes trained on his as if he were about to confess to murder.

"Manon, chill out. I'm not dying" Lucas clarified

Manon huffed, 

"Lucas, whenever you start a sentence like that, I lose three weeks of my life."

Lucas chuckled, "Well, sorry for shortening your life span"

Manon laughed in response, her finger absentmindedly moving to trace over the rim of her latte cup. She looked back up at him expectantly, and Lucas suddenly found the words lodged in his throat. How should he even start? 

"Well, I guess I was just curious..."

Manon lent forward in mock anticipation, but Lucas ignored her, 

"...as to how you knew Charles was the one."

Manon stared at him for a few moments before a thoughtful smile spread across her face

"I don't know. After a while I suppose you just...feel it"

Lucas sighed, 

"Yes but, how? And when?"

"Okay, Lucas, you're not writing my biography"

"Sorry". Lucas had to remind himself to not go too far with his questions. He didn't want to come off as weird. "I'm just...wondering how long it took for you to know."

Manon looked down at the table and smiled,

"Well, when we spent some time apart after he'd gone to London, I felt like I was better without him. It felt like maybe I could start again with someone new. But deep down I knew that I didn't want to start again. I didn't want someone else. I wanted Charles. And when he came back, it was like a weight had lifted from me."

"But you said you used to fight all the time?"

Manon laughed, "Yes, and we still do. All I know is that I prefer arguing with him than him not being there at all."

Lucas frowned, "That doesn't make any sense"

Manon shook her head, "Love never does, Lulu. You'll understand one day when you fall in love"

Lucas scoffed uncomfortably, "Yeah, no thanks. Not really down for having to be controlled by someone for the rest of my life."

Lucas threw up his hands quickly in mock surrender, "No offence, by the way. It's just not for me" 

Manon smirked and put on a mocking high-pitched voice, "Oh Mr Lallemant, you're such a stone cold heart-breaker." 

Despite Lucas' recent attempts to be more grown up in front of his students, he still couldn't resist raising a middle finger to his close friend. Manon promptly broke out into a splutter of laughter. 

The buzzing of Manon's phone interrupted their antics, and by the look on Manon's face when she glanced at the screen, Lucas knew that this was where they said goodbye. 

"I'm so sorry Lucas, but I have to go. Some moron has ordered for the Rodin exhibit to be installed tomorrow instead of next week". Lucas offered his best, sympathetic wincing face.  

 

Manon smiled and turned to leave before she stopped and looked back to Lucas.

"Lucas?"

"Hmm?"

Manon hesitated for a moment before speaking, 

"Don't give up on people. Not yet. There are many people in this World who are not worth your time, but you just need to find the ones that are. Don't let people pass you by. Give them a chance to prove to you that love is worth it after all. Just in case it really is." 

Lucas _'_ head shot up at those words, as if Manon had genuinely been reading his mind. 

_Just in case._

"Something to think about" she said quietly. 

Lucas watched as she turned on her heel and walked away from him, completely unaware of how much she had really said. On second thought, maybe she knew exactly how much she had said. 

Lucas tapped his fingers nervously against his espresso cup before inhaling sharply and placing his phone on the table. 

_"Don't let people pass you by"._

**To: Eliott**

**Hey, this is Lucas.**

Lucas paused and thought for a moment, quickly adding: 

**Do you like coffee?**

Lucas ran a hand through his hair and held them there, hyping himself up felt slightly pathetic, and yet here he was doing it.

Before he could think, Lucas let his finger drop to the "send" button. 

His heart was beating like crazy, the adrenaline making him genuinely unable to register whether or not he was excited or mortified. 

Lucas' phone buzzed against the table. 

**From: Eliott**

**I think I read somewhere that hedgehogs are only meant to drink water**

Lucas was practically grinning at his phone, feeling the ease of tension withdraw from his chest that he hadn't even realised was there. Lucas' phone buzzed again.

**But I know a place. 5pm, Tomorrow at _Café de Seine?_ **

Lucas hastily typed out a message, almost as if Eliott would retract the offer if time ran out, 

**To Eliott:**

**I'll be there.**

**P.S: Are Raccoons allowed into cafés?**

Lucas absolutely prayed that Eliott found that funny.

**From: Eliott**

 

**Their tiny hands make it** **easy to snatch food from the floor. So yes ;)**

Lucas laughed out loud at that, causing the barista to glance up at him nervously. Lucas put up a hand to apologise before returning to his phone,

**To Eliott:**

**I didn't think of that. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then**

**From Eliott:**

**I'm counting on it, Mr Lallemant :)**

Lucas stared at the messages for a few more minutes before realising he was still grinning. Lucas sighed. 

_I'm so screwed._

 


	5. Ah ouais? Ouais.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliott and Lucas finally meet up for their date :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been six months guys.

It was 4:57pm when Lucas stood outside the Café, and he still couldn't understand why his hands kept shaking. He tried to act nonchalant and check the time on his phone, but the screen seemed to blur in front of him, and then he forgot why he had his phone out in the first place. 

 _'I'm too early'_ Lucas thought as he hopped from one foot to the other. 

Another thought dawned on him like a black cloud.

' _I bet Eliott's forgotten'_

Lucas ' mind was suddenly overcome with dread. What if he was waiting here for nothing? What if when Eliott had texted him, it had been some ironic joke that he hadn't understood? What if...?

Lucas' mind came to a grinding halt when his eyes glanced through the windows and fell on to a small round table in the corner, with who else but Eliott Démaury.

The setting sun cast dark gold beams of light across Eliott's face, illuminating the brightness in his grey eyes. He looked softer than Lucas remembered. Not so intimidating.

Eliott hadn't seen Lucas looking at him through the window yet, and so was completely oblivious to the fact that Lucas could see him glancing around nervously, constantly checking his phone and using his coffee spoon as a mirror to fix his already perfectly messy hair. 

Lucas remembered how pretty Eliott was, but now he seemed ...  adorable? 

 _'Is he...nervous?'_ Lucas thought with incredulity 

A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts, 

"Hey! Buddy! You going in or you going out?" 

Lucas turned to see a glowering businessman who had been waiting for him to move from the entrance.

"Oh, uh, I'm going in" Lucas clarified, still not moving.

"Well then can you do it today?" the businessman said, paired with a sardonic smile and a mobile phone tapping impatiently against his palm. 

Lucas felt slightly overwhelmed at the idea of just walking in and sitting with Eliott, but the rage that was starting to glimmer in the business man's eyes spurred him into action. 

Lucas took a deep breath and opened the door.

* * *

 

The Café was warmer than he anticipated. Before Elliot saw him, Lucas slipped off his coat and slung it over his arm and quickly ran a hand through his hair so that it fell endearingly over his forehead in fragments. 

Lucas took a deep breath,  _'This is no big deal'_ he thought, though even he knew that was a complete lie. Before he could antagonise any further, Lucas strode over to the table as if he'd just walked straight in without hesitation.

"Hey, Eliott"

Eliott's gaze shot up to meet his eyes, his face breaking into a timid grin as he did so. It looked almost as if he was trying to literally contain himself from smiling too much, but Lucas just wanted to beg him to keep smiling at him and never stop.

"Lucas! I'm...I'm glad you came" Eliott said

"I wouldn't miss it for the world" Lucas responded, lightly enough so that it could be perceived as a joke but not so sarcastic that it was insulting. The perfect sprinkle of ambiguity.

It seemed to work, as Eliott eyes grew slightly wider and his voice became almost breathless. In a flustered panic Eliott spoke,

"Um, please..." Eliott laughed, indicating to the chair opposite him, "I would draw the chair for you but that seems a bit too cheesy, doesn't it?"

Lucas laughed and sat down whilst his heart beat even louder in his chest at Eliott's reaction to his words.

"Yeah, I'm a big boy - I can do it myself"

"Big boy in the figurative sense, right?" Eliott said, and Lucas could only stare at him in shock as Eliott broke down into laughter. Lucas soon followed suit. 

"E-Excuse me? I'll have you know I'm actually taller than the average 14 year old" 

Eliott's grin grew even wider at that, which made Lucas' brain short circuit,

"Ah ouais?" 

"Ouais."

 


End file.
